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Does Not The Ringdove Stir You?
By Ibn Ruzayq Al-‘Omani These first 20 lines of love-poetry are part of a larger 39-line poem in praise of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. As is the tradition of epic Arab poetry, poems start with lines of love, intimacy, and yearning before getting into the true crux of the poem. بحر الكامل هلّا شَجَتْكَ بسجعِها… Continue reading
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Sickness and Cure…
By Ibn Az-Zayyat بحر الوافر سَقامي في تَقَلُّب مُقلَتَيكا … وَبُرئي في رُضابِ ثَنِيَّتيكا My sickness arises at the turning of Your eyes, yet my cure comes from the spittle between Your teeth… وَحُسنُ مَحاسِن الدُّنيا جَميعاً … يَلوحُ لِناظِري في وَجنَتَيكا And in Your cheeks, the beauty of this world’s lovely traits gleam forth… Continue reading
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Hold Fast to the Door!
By unknown author رضي الله عنه إلْزَمِ الْبَابَ إنْ عَشِقْتَ الْجَمَالَا … وَاهْجُرِ النَّوْمَ إنْ أرَدْتَ الْوِصَالَا Hold fast to the door if you desire the Beauty; abandon sleep if you seek union… وَاجْعَلِ الرُّوْحَ مِنْكَ أوَّلَ نَقْدِ … لِحَبِيْبٍ أنْوَارُهُ تَتَلَالَا And make your Spirit the first payment to give away to a Beloved… Continue reading
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The Face of Time…
By Bashar bin Bard بحر الوافر وَدَعجاءِ المَحاجِرِ مِن مَعَدٍّ … كَأَنَّ حَديثَها ثَمرُ الجِنانِ A fair-eyed Lady from Ma’ad; as though Her speech were the fruits of paradisal groves… إِذا قامَت لِمَشيَتِها تَثَنَّت … كَأَنَّ عِظامَها مِن خَيزُرانِ When She stands to walk, She would sway, as though Her bones were made of bamboo… Continue reading
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The Flute…
By Qays Ibn Al-Mulawwah (Majnun Layla) رضي الله عنه بحر الطويل أَحِنُّ إِلى لَيلى وَإِن شَطَّتِ النَوى … بِلَيلى كَما حَنَّ اليَراعُ المُثَقَّبُ I long for Layla, despite the distance growing vast from Layla, just as the pierced flute would longingly moan… يَقولونَ لَيلى عَذَّبَتكَ بِحُبِّها … أَلا حَبَّذا ذاكَ الحَبيبُ المُعَذِّبُ They tell me:… Continue reading
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Will Our Love Ever be Forgotten?
By Ghazi Al Sharaf بحر البسيط لَيْلَى بِرَبِّكِ هَلْ تُنْسَىٰ مَوَدَّتُنَا … وَالْوَرْدُ شَاهِدُنَا نَمْشِي يَدًا بِيَدِ O Layla, by Your Lord, will our love ever be forgotten? The flowers spectate us as we walk with hands held! وَالرَّوْضُ مُبْتَهِلٌ مِنْ حَوْلِنَا طَرَبًا … يَرْنُو لِعَيْنَيْكِ لَا لِلْبُلْبُلِ الْغَرِدِ And the garden around us is… Continue reading
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O My Comfort and Torment!
By Ibn Zaydoun بحر المجتث مَتى أَبُثُّكِ ما بي … يا راحَتي وَعَذابي When will I confide to You that which is within me, O my Comfort and Torment? مَتى يَنوبُ لِساني … في شَرحِهِ عَن كِتابي When shall my tongue explain instead of my writing? اللَهُ يَعلَمُ أَنّي … أَصبَحتُ فيكِ لِما بي God… Continue reading
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O Late-Night Breeze!
By Shaykh ‘Afeefud-Deen At-Telimsani رضي الله عنه بحر البسيط أسْكَرْتِ بَانَ الحِمَى يَا نَسْمَةَ السَّحَرِ … فَهَلْ أَتَيْتِ عَنِ الأَحْبَابِ بِالْخَبَرِ You have intoxicated the moringa trees of the sanctuary, O Late-Night Breeze! Did you return with news of the Beloveds? نَعَمْ مَرَرْتِ بِذَاكَ الحَيِّ فَاكْتَسَبَتْ … ذُيُولُ بُرْدِكِ رَيَّا نَشْرِهِ العَطِرِ Yes! You did… Continue reading
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Send my Greetings!
By Baha’ Ad-Deen Zuhayr بحر البسيط إقرَأ سَلامي عَلى مَن لا أُسَمّيهِ … وَمَن بِروحي مِنَ الأَسواءِ أَفديهِ Pass my greetings to the One whom I do not name , the One for whom I ransom my spirit to above all others… وَمَن أُعَرِّضُ عَنهُ حينَ أَذكُرُهُ … فَإِن ذَكَرتُ سِواهُ كُنتُ أَعنيهِ The One… Continue reading
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May My Heart Never Live!
By Abul ‘Atahiyya بحر الكامل لا عَاشَ قلبي إذْ نوى يَنْسَاهَا … إنِّي حَبِيبٌ صَادِقٌ أهواهَا May my heart never live if it ever intended to forget Her! Indeed, I am an honest lover; I adore Her! أَشْتَاقَهَا في كُل يومٍ إِنَّني … يَزْدَادُ حُبِّيْ كُلما ألْقَاهَا Every day, I yearn for Her; my love… Continue reading